John is a partner in the firm's regional labor and employment practice group in the Tampa office.  His practice includes a joint emphasis in labor and employment law and in securities litigation and arbitration.  John advises and represents employers throughout Florida in the defense of race, age, gender, sexual harassment, and disability discrimination and retaliation claims, in both federal and state court trial practice and in arbitration and administrative proceedings.  He also advises clients on a full range of employment-based immigration matters, and assists clients in obtaining visas for technical and professional employees and in navigating the requirements of U.S. immigration law.  John also regularly drafts and negotiates employment agreements, and litigates covenants not to compete and trade secret claims.
 
John also represents clients in defending securities class actions, directors' and officers' liability disputes, and other complex commercial matters in federal and state court.  He represents securities firms and individuals in securities arbitration proceedings before self-regulatory organizations such as the National Association of Securities Dealers.  John served as a law clerk to the Honorable Steven D. Merryday, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, from 1999-2001.
 
John has been awarded the "AV" rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, which is the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards.  He was recognized in the 2006 and 2007 editions of Florida Trend magazine's "Florida Legal Elite," a select group comprised of only the top two percent of lawyers practicing in Florida.  He has also been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer in 2007, an honor received by less than five percent of Florida lawyers.
 

• New York University School of Law, J.D. in 1994; Orison S. Marden Moot Court Competition (Employment Law division), Second Prize
• New College of Florida, Honors College, B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science, 1989

• Member: The Florida Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section; Hillsborough County Bar Association; American Bar Association
• Admitted to Practice: Florida; United States District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida; United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; United States Supreme Court

• Author, "U.S. Labor Relations Law: Historical Development," NYU Rev. L. & Soc. Change, Vol. 21, No. 1 (1993)
• Contributing Editor, Class Actions and Derivative Suits Journal (American Bar Association, 1998-2005)
• Frequently speaks and makes presentations to clients, attorneys, and human resources professionals on labor and employment law topics.